Harvesting the Grapes

After a long summer of canning many fruits and vegetables, the early fall produces one of the last fruits that need to be preserved; GRAPES!

We have put up grape juice for years, ever since I was a little girl. When the leaves begin to turn colors and the nights are cooler (but not yet freezing) it's time to pick them.

Putting up grape juice also happens to be one of the EASIEST canning processes of them all. Because the high heat of the steam, we don't need to process them in a Boiling Water Bath (which is one less step) because the juice is hot enough to seal the lids from the steam process. Plus, it's like my little reward after putting in so many hours of canning and now I can just sit back and let the Steam Juicer do all the work.

Making Grape Juice with a Steam Juicer

1) Fill the bottom pan up to the line with water. *Make sure that you check the water level during the juicing process and add more if necessary. You don't want it to run dry!

2) Wash grapes and drain off excess water before putting them into the steamer. Steams do not need to be removed.

3) Place grapes in the steamer.

*We place them higher than the top, as they will eventually cook down and you won't have to make as many separate batches.

4) As the water in the bottom compartment begins to boil, the steam will cook down the grapes and the middle compartment will begin to collect the juice. Steam over continuously boiling water (medium heat) for about 60-75 minutes, or until all the juice has been extracted from the grapes.

5) Have your prepared quart jars ready (hot and sterilized) for the juice. Using the tube on the side of the steamer, fill the jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

*You'll see some juice begin to fill the tube; don't worry because you have it clipped at the top and if you have the spout pointing up, the juice won't leak out.

*When you get close to filling the jar, use the clip to slow down the juice and be very careful, the juice is VERY HOT and can BURN you which is very painful.

6) Wipe the rim and place lids and bands on the jars. Set on a towel on the counter undisturbed for the next 12 hours to cool and seal.


*We made several types of grape juice (from left to right):

• The darkest one on the left is a mixture of cherry and grape juices.
• Then the next three jars are from concord grapes.
• The next two pinkish ones are also concord grape, but the juices were extracted earlier than the previous three. *The longer you let the grapes steam, the more concentrated (or darker in color) the juice will become.
• The next two jars are a combination of green and concord grapes.
• The final two on the end are from the green grapes only, and they make a white grape juice.

Mix Grape Juice:

*Because the grape juice is a concentrate, you will need to add the following:

Add sugar (about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup; to taste)
Add water (about 3 1/2 cups; to taste)

More Juice Ideas:

Use half of the prepared grape juice (with the water and sugar added) with cranberry juice and part 7-up. Very delicious and makes a nice drink for holiday celebrations (it's perfect that the grape juice is ready by Christmas time!)

*We have found that waiting about 3 months before using the juice, helps to develop a stronger flavor and allows the sediment (which is primarily crystals of tartaric acid) to separate from the juice and settle on the bottom of the jar. These are not harmful, just unappealing. When you pour the grape juice into another container, the sediment will stay at the bottom and you can discard it.

Monday Must (Have) Make: Homemade Fruit Syrups

Last week during the early hours of the morning, I was baking some dessert orders and when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw this beautiful sunrise! I quickly grabbed my camera and was able to capture a few pictures of a foggy, yet lovely sunrise.

With the fall season upon us, comfort foods seem to be very appealing and well, yes comforting. One of the things I love to make for dinner, is breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast, omelets, pancakes, and my favorite Belgian waffles. And what is a delicious topping? Homemade fruit syrups!

Last week, we canned over 40 quarts of grape juice (oh yes, I will be posting about the "fruits of our labors"--don't you just love a good pun?) and to make some room in our freezer for a meat order arriving soon, we decided to juice the frozen cherries we put up last year. Black cherries make a wonderful juice and a tasty syrup. Although we used a juicer/steamer to extract the juices, if you don't own one, you can still make syrup and it's very easy to make.

Cherry Syrup
Adapted from So Easy to Preserve, pg. 225

Yields = About 3 pints

3 cups prepared cherry juice
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
3 Tbsp. lemon juice

To Extract Juice
If you own a juicer/steamer, this is a great way to extract juice from fruits and vegetables. If you don't own one, here is a link that explains how to extract juices using a saucepan.

To Make Syrup
1) Sterilize canning jars. Combine ingredients in a saucepan.
2) Bring to a rolling boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
3) Pour into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids.
4) Process 10 minutes in a Boiling Water Bath.
*If you will be using syrup right away, you don't need to process in a water bath. When the syrup is cool, store in the refrigerator.

Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Linda at RebelPigs for winning the So Easy to Preserve canning book!

Also a big THANK YOU to all of you who left thoughtful comments about your experiences with canning (or wanting to experience canning)--they were wonderful to read.

I think that I may have to do another giveaway down the road, since this first one went so well. Maybe some yummy preserves made using one of the recipes from this AWESOME canning book?

Let me know what you think.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

It's finally here! This weekend is the kick-off for the Canning Across America Can-A-Rama, classes, canning groups and festivities around the country to celebrate the art of canning. I hope that you are getting inspired from all the lovely blogs that are posting great canning recipes and information.

Today is the final installment of this week long posting on canning, but don't worry, I will still continue to post about canning from time to time. In fact I already see a Dill Pickle recipe in the future, as I will be picking pickling pickles next week (try saying that three times fast!).

Tomato Sauce - Seasoned
From So Easy to Preserve, pg. 57

Yields = About 5 half-pint jars

10 pounds tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
3 medium onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. sugar

Hot Pack Method:

1) Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2) Press mixture through a food mill. *Let me introduce you to our "can't-do-without" piece of equipment, The Victorio Food Mill! We attach it to the extra large cutting board pull-out on our kitchen island.

We set it up with two bowls. The small one for catching the seeds and other discards.

And the large bowl will hold the yummy tomato goodness that is left over after pressing it through.

Here is what it looks like during this process:

Usually my job is to hold the smaller bowl to catch what we don't want in the sauce, while my Mom pours the tomato sauce through the top. It can be done with one person, but it's much easier with two.

This really presses all the tomatoes so well, that you will get every last drop of sauce.

By the end you'll have a beautiful, smooth tomato sauce.

3) Pour tomato sauce mixture back into the pot and cook until thick over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

4) Add bottle lemon juice or citric acid to jars. Add 1 Tbsp. of bottled lemon juice or 1/4 tsp. citric acid per pint of tomatoes. *Since we were using half-pint jars, we adjusted the amounts accordingly.

This is a very important step! The reason why tomatoes need to be acidified, is explained in the So Easy to Preserve book (pg. 50):

"Because tomatoes have pH values that fall close to 4.6, you must take some precautions to can them safely. First, select only disease-free, preferably vine-ripened, firm fruit for canning. Do not can tomatoes from dead or frost-killed vines. (Green tomatoes are more acidic than ripened tomatoes and can be canned safely using any of the directions given for tomatoes in this book.)"

*Also, it is very important to use only bottled lemon juice instead of fresh squeezed lemon juice in this process. When using bottled lemon juice you know exactly the amount of acidity that will be in the measurements given in the recipe, whereas fresh squeezed lemons may vary.

The lemon juice can be added directly to each jar before filling it with the tomato sauce. If this makes the produce taste too acid, add a little sugar to offset the taste. *We added 1 tsp. of sugar to balance the taste and it worked great.

5) Pour hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process. Tomato sauce may be processed either by the Boiling Water Bath method or the Pressure Canner method. *The day we made this, we did a triple batch of this recipe and since we have two stove tops and both canners, we used both methods.

Boiling Water Bath: Half-Pints or Pints = Process 35 minutes. Click here for Boiling Water Bath instructions.

Pressure Canner (Weighted Gauge at 10 pounds of pressure; remember this depends on your altitude): Half-Pints or Pints = Process 15 minutes. Click here for Pressure Canning directions.

6) After removing the jars from the canner, set them on a towel and leave undisturbed for 12 hours, before storing.

For more information on safe canning practices, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.

Now you will have delicious homemade tomato sauce to use for a variety of meals--so yummy and fresh--plus, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing exactly what went into making your sauce.

This is my last shout-out for the GIVEAWAY that started this canning week. All the recipes and instructions that I've shared have come from this AWESOME canning book, So Easy to Preserve. You have until Monday, August 31st at 8:00 PM (PST) to leave your comment and enter for a chance to win this book. Click here to take you to the giveaway page and when you do, be sure to scroll down to the end and leave your comment.

Good Luck & Happy Canning!

Oh the PRESSURE of what to do with all those beans in the garden?

Raise your hand if you have more beans in your garden and you don't know what to do with them all? It seems like every other day it's time to pick the beans again. Up until now all the canning posts have included the Boiling Water Bath method, but today I'm going to show/explain the Pressure Canning method. If you want to can those wonderful green beans, this post is for you!

Pressure canning is the ONLY SAFE METHOD of canning vegetables! I want to be clear on this, especially if this is your first time canning vegetables. It's a great method, but you do want to make sure you follow the directions carefully, to make sure that you are ensuring safe canning practices. If you are wondering why vegetables can't be canned using the Boiling Water Bath method, please continue reading. (I apologize for quoting so much in the next section, but it is such IMPORTANT information that I want to make sure it's completely correct.)

Here is a brief explanation from the book, So Easy to Preserve (pgs. 17 & 18) of how this method works:

"The canning process involves placing foods in jars or cans and heating them to a temperature that destroys microorganisms that could be a health hazard or cause the food to spoil. Canning also inactivates enzymes that could cause the food to spoil. Air is driven from the jar or can during heating and as it cools a vacuum seal is formed. This vacuum seal prevents air from getting back into the food."

"Clostridium botulinum bacteria are the main reason why low-acid food must be pressure canned to be safe. Clostridium botulinum is a common soil microorganism which produces a very deadly toxin or poison. This food poisoning is called botulism."

"The spores of Clostridium botulinum can be destroyed by canning the food at a temperature of 240 degrees F. or above for a specific period of time. Since this temperature is above the boiling point of water, it can only be reached in a pressure canner."

The main differences between most Pressure Canners is they will have a Dial Gauge or a Weighted Gauge. Click here to see more information about these. I used a Weighted Gauge Pressure Canner to can our beans and the directions will be tailored to this type of canner.



Pressure Canned Green Beans
From So Easy to Preserve, pg. 80

1) Select tender, crisp pods. Wash beans.


2) Trim both ends of the beans. *I'm going to show the process we do this and although you could snap the ends of by hand, I've found this works faster for me.

Line up a few beans and have them even on one end, like this:



Then cut the ends off:

Repeat on the other end of the beans:

This is the set-up I find helpful; I use three flexible cutting boards and the one in the middle is on top of the other two ends. As I cut the bean ends off, I can just slide them over with my knife to one side and then when it gets full, I can discard them into a bowl for compost later.

After cutting the beans into 1 to 2-inch pieces, I slide those onto the other cutting board and when that gets full, they go into a large bowl. Repeat until you've trimmed all your beans.

3) Once your beans are ready to be canned, make sure you have your bottles washed & hot ready for use. Also have a pot of boiling water ready to add the liquid to the beans after they are packed into the jars. This method is referred to as Raw Pack.

4) Add 1/2 tsp. salt to pint jars or 1 tsp. salt to quart jars (I used pint jars this time). Pack beans tightly into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace.

5) Fill jar to 1-inch from top with boiling water. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process.

6) Your pressure canner should have 2 to 3-inches of water almost to a boil, as you place your jars inside.

*Make sure your jars are not touching and that there is 2 to 3-inches of water after you put them all in--you may have to add more or take out some if too much.

7) Fasten the canner lid securely. Leave the weight off the vent port. Turn the heat to high and heat until the water boils and steam flows freely in a funnel-shape from the open vent port. While maintaining the high heat setting, let the steam flow (exhaust) continuously for 10 minutes. *When this process starts, it may start showing more steam, but don't start the 10 minutes until it's steadily steaming, as it shows in the picture below.

8) After this venting, or exhausting, of the canner, place the counterweight on the vent port. The amount of weight you use will depend on the altitude of where you are canning. We are at about 500 feet elevation, which means we use the 10 pound weight gauge. The canner will pressurize during the next 3 to 10 minutes. Start timing the process when the weighted gauge begins to jiggle or rock as the manufacturer describes.

IMPORTANT: If at any time pressure goes below the recommended amount (if the weight gauge stops moving), bring the canner back to pressure and begin the timing of the process over, from the beginning (using the total original process time). This is important for the safety of the food.

9) When the timed process is completed, turn off the heat, remove the canner from the heat if possible, and let the canner cool down naturally. While it is cooling, it is also de-pressurizing. Do not force cool the canner. Forced cooling may result in food spoilage. Also, DO NOT REMOVE THE WEIGHTED GAUGE YET! Removing the weight before it has de-pressurized, may result in the canner exploding and that could cause some serious burn injuries...or worse.

10) After the canner has cooled (this may take about 30-40 minutes on older canner models, like ours), tilt the weight slightly to make sure no steam escapes before pulling it all the way off. After removing the weight from the vent port, wait another 10 minutes before removing the lid. Remove lid carefully, and transfer jars to a towel on the counter and let them sit undisturbed for the next 12 to 24 hours.

See how delicious these look? They are going to taste so fresh and will be a great side dish for meals. For more information on safe canning practices, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.

If this post has inspired you to do your own canning or want to learn more, don't forget to enter the giveaway here. Scroll down to the bottom and leave your comment for your chance to win this AWESOME canning book: So Easy to Preserve.

Happy Canning!

72 lbs. of Peaches

A couple of weeks ago, my Mom and I went to pick up some local peaches for canning. When we got there we found it was cheaper to just pick them ourselves and since we had the time, we did just that. We left with three boxes that weighed in at 72 lbs. We really didn't think there was that many and wondered if we should have picked more.

Several hours later, we both realized that we had A LOT of peaches to put up. We first went through and selected the very best & ripe ones for canning bottled peaches. We put up 14 quarts of those. Then I made some spiced peach preserves and that made 19 half-pints. A couple of days later I made some peach citrus preserves and that made another 14 half-pints. The few we had left were used on ice cream, morning oatmeal and for snacks.

After all this, we both decided that next year that 40 lbs. would be plenty! Although it was a long few days of canning, it's always so worth it in the end--we have some wonderful jars of sweet, peach treats that will be so yummy in the winter when fresh peaches aren't really available here.

According to my new favorite canning book, So Easy to Preserve, the difference between jams and preserves is this:

"Jams are made by cooking crushed or chopped fruits with sugar. They are thick, sweet spreads that tend to hold their shape but are less firm than jelly. The shape of fruit pieces are not retained when making jam."

"Preserves are small, whole fruits or uniformly sized pieces in a thick slightly gelled sugar syrup. The fruit should be tender and plump and there should be no mushy or broken up fruit tissue."

I call both recipes a form of peach preserves. The spiced peach preserve is really more of a cross between a jam and a preserve and the peach citrus preserve is definitely more of a preserve than a jam (if you want to be technical about it).

Spiced Peach Preserves
Adapted from So Easy to Preserve, pg. 210

Yields = 19 half-pint jars

20 cups peaches
10 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cardamon
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

1) Sterilize canning jars. Combine peaches, sugar, spices and lemon juice & zest and slowly bring to boiling (I cook it on low for at least 30 minutes, so the flavors have a chance to infuse with the peaches), stirring occasionally.

2) Cook rapidly until thick, about 15 to 25 minutes (this was a very large batch, so it took a bit longer--if you cut this recipe in half, it won't take as long), stir frequently to prevent sticking.

3) Pour hot jams/preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 5 minutes in a Boiling Water Bath.

4) Allow jars to sit undisturbed for at least 12 hours before moving them.



*This recipe for spiced peach preserves is on the stronger side, so if you don't want it as pronounced, then use smaller amounts. Also, this is wonderful on grilled chicken!




Peach Citrus Preserves
Adapted from So Easy to Preserve, pg. 210

Yields = 14 half-pint jars

14 cups peaches, cut in large pieces
8 cups sugar
1 large orange, zested & juiced
2 lemons, zested & juiced

1) Sterilize canning jars. Combine peaches, sugar, orange & lemon juices and zests. Cook on low for 45 minutes, till some of the water content is cooked down.

2) Remove peach pieces from syrup using a strainer and set aside in large bowl. Bring peach syrup to 222 degrees f. (use a candy thermometer to monitor heat). Stir frequently & watch carefully (do not leave your kitchen, especially during this step).

3) Once syrup has reached 222 degrees f., remove pan from heat and add peach pieces back into syrup. Put back on medium heat and cook about 5 more minutes, to bring mixture back to even heat and it should thicken a little more.

4) Pour hot jams/preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 5 minutes in a Boiling Water Bath.

5) Allow jars to sit undisturbed for at least 12 hours before moving them.



*If you don't want to spend as much time cooking down the fruit, you can use pectin and follow the directions given with the package. I didn't have enough pectin at the time, so this was a great way to cook the preserves to be thick enough and still keep the peach pieces intact. I love having larger pieces in my jams/preserves, but you can cut them any size you prefer. These peach citrus preserves are really delicious as an ice cream topping, tart filling, or on toast.